''Magic in Ithkar'' is a
shared world
A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where more than one writer (or other artist) independently contributes a work that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, chara ...
anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.
In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
of
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
stories edited by
Andre Norton
Andre Alice Norton (born Alice Mary Norton, February 17, 1912 – March 17, 2005) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, who also wrote works of historical and contemporary fiction. She wrote primarily under the pen name ...
and
Robert Adams. It was first published as a trade paperback by
Tor Books
Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese scien ...
in May 1985 and later reprinted as a standard paperback in April 1988 under the alternate title ''Magic in Ithkar 1''.
Summary
The book collects thirteen original short stories by various fantasy authors which share the setting of an annual fair in the city of Ithkar, together with an introduction by Adams and notes on the authors by Norton.
[Internet Speculative Fiction database entry for first edition of ''Magic in Ithkar''](_blank)
/ref>
Setting
As described in the introduction by co-editor Robert Adams, the world of which Ithkar is a part has suffered from some past holocaust which wiped out an earlier, higher civilization. Subsequently, the area which became Ithkar became a base for the explorations of three godlike visitors, who came to be worshiped as actual deities after their departure. A temple and priesthood dedicated to them developed over succeeding generations, which held a yearly fair on the anniversary of the visitors' first arrival. The city of Ithkar grew up about the temple on the strength of the commerce the fair attracted.
The historical background provided appears science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
al in nature; the war that destroyed the previous culture is related in terms which suggest a nuclear war, complete with radiation-derived mutations of life-forms in the vicinities of the nuclear strikes, while the story of the visitors resembles an expedition of interstellar explorers. Present-day Ithkar is, however, a fantasy setting, in which wizards and sorcerers are rife, and magic works.
Contents
* "Prologue" ( Robert Adams)
* "The Goblinry of Ais" (Lin Carter
Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. L ...
)
* "To Take a Thief" (C. J. Cherryh
Carolyn Janice Cherry (born September 1, 1942), better known by the pen name C. J. Cherryh, is an American writer of speculative fiction. She has written more than 80 books since the mid-1970s, including the Hugo Award-winning novels '' Downbelo ...
)
* "Jezeri and Her Beast Go to the Fair and Find More Excitement Than They Want" (Jo Clayton
Jo Clayton (February 15, 1939 – February 13, 1998) was an American fantasy and science fiction author. She wrote 35 novels and many short stories. Her works sold over one and a quarter million copies.James W. Fiscus,Obituary and fact sheet: Jo ...
)
* "Fletcher Found" (Morgan Llywelyn
Morgan Llywelyn (born December 3, 1937) is an American-Irish historical interpretation author of Historical fiction, historical and Mythic fiction, mythological fiction and history, historical non-fiction. Her interpretation of mythology and ...
)
* "Well Met in Ithkar" ( Patricia Mathews)
* "Esmene's Eyes" (Ardath Mayhar
Ardath Frances Hurst Mayhar (February 20, 1930 – February 1, 2012) was an American writer and poet. Mayhar wrote over 60 books ranging from science fiction to horror to young adult to historical to westerns, Some of her novels appeared under ...
)
* "Swamp Dweller" (Andre Norton
Andre Alice Norton (born Alice Mary Norton, February 17, 1912 – March 17, 2005) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, who also wrote works of historical and contemporary fiction. She wrote primarily under the pen name ...
)
* "Qazia and a Ferret-Fetch" (Judith Sampson)
* "For Lovers Only" (Roger C. Schlobin)
* "Dragon's Horn" (J. W. Schutz)
* "Homecoming" ( Susan M. Shwartz)
* "The Prince Out of the Past" (Nancy Springer
Nancy Springer (born July 5, 1948) is an American author of fantasy, young adult literature, mystery, and science fiction. Her novel ''Larque on the Wing'' won the Tiptree Award in 1994. She also received the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers ...
)
* "Cold Spell" (Elisabeth Waters)
* "Biographical Notes" (Andre Norton
Andre Alice Norton (born Alice Mary Norton, February 17, 1912 – March 17, 2005) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, who also wrote works of historical and contemporary fiction. She wrote primarily under the pen name ...
)
Reception
Reviewing the trade paperback edition, John Gregory Betancourt
John Gregory Betancourt (born October 25, 1963) is an American writer of science fiction, fantasy and mystery novels, as well as short stories. He is also known as the founder and publisher, with his wife Kim Betancourt, of Wildside Press in 1989 ...
wrote a positive review despite acknowledging its flaws. His main criticism is that "the stories ... have conflicting details, as if the writers didn't have enough background information to work from". Accordingly, " ere is no real sense of unity ... and for a series anthology this is a major problem. Some writers ook
Ook, OoK or OOK may refer to:
* Ook Chung (born 1963), Korean-Canadian writer from Quebec
* On-off keying, in radio technology
* Toksook Bay Airport (IATA code OOK), in Alaska
* Ook!, an esoteric programming language based on Brainfuck
* Ook, th ...
a science-fiction viewpoint; others used high fantasy, and still others sword & sorcery". He also criticizes the editors for arranging the stories alphabetically by author; " a result, the book starts with futility and ends with a cute minor tale. The two best stories are bunched at the beginning and all the ones toward the end have the same tone". A different arrangement "would've helped this book to have a strong opening and close". Turning to the stories themselves he singles out "three first class stories: those by Cherryh (best in book), Llywelyn, and Springer", and takes note of Carter's as "essentially, a study in futility -- though well-written and engagingly told. The remainder range from fair to good" except for Clayton's, Sampson's and Schlobin's. Summing up, he notes that "inconsistencies aside, it's an entertaining book, and worth your time in its mass-market paperback edition, if you want to wait that long".[Betancourt, John Gregory. "Book Reviews: Magic in Ithkar", in '']Amazing Science Fiction Stories
''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearances i ...
'' v. 80, no. 1, November 1985, p. 19.
The book was also reviewed by Mary Ann McIntyre Nixon in ''Fantasy Review'' v. 8, no. 7 (no. 81), July 1985.
Notes
{{Andre Norton
1985 anthologies
Fantasy anthologies
Andre Norton anthologies
Tor Books books